New Calling

We just recently had the opportunity to go to North Carolina to see my brothers and their families. It was beautiful down there. We were able to take Bailey to the ocean for the first time. We went to Heidi's baby shower and found out she was having a boy! Bailey will have a boy cousin to pick on now. It was a fun trip but the 65+ hours in the vehicle with a 4 month old were not so fun. She did pretty well, however. We were very glad to be home and have hit the ground running with all of the things we have to keep us busy.

We now live full time on the ranch while Seth finishes the house. He has the house sealed but has a few small tasks left on the outside of the house. We were able to have my brothers over for the week and they helped insulate. Next step inside is to drywall. It is coming along so fast!

Seth was just recently called to be the Elders Quorum president for our ward. It will be a very busy, but rewarding thing for our family. I can't wait to see the great things that he will do!

Bailey is now 27 inches long, which is taller than most 4 month olds. She is 15 lbs. 8 oz. She loves to talk and never stays still. Her favorite thing to do is suck on her toes. She has been able to hang out in our house while Seth and I both work on it.

It will probably be a busy next few months but I will keep you updated as I can!

Busy Summer!

It has been too long since I have had the time to sit down and write what is going on in our little family. We have been so busy lately, which is a good thing!

We were able to go down to Utah a few weeks ago to be with Raimee and Colin while they were sealed for time and all eternity. It was such a beautiful wedding and reception. It rained all day which made for some last minute plan changes, but it worked out. Bailey did so good on the trip. We found out that she really loves to dance. She woke up right when the dancing started, looked around for a second, and then was up dancing for the rest of the night.

Last week, we were moving cows to our summer pasture. Bailey hung out with Grandpa Cody in the truck, while Seth and I rode the horses. It has been over a year, since before I was pregnant with Bailey, that I have been on a horse. It felt so good to be able to be back. I missed it more than I thought I would. Turns out one of our horses doesn't like babies. She shies away from Bailey any time she gets close. Good thing it will be a little bit before Bailey gets to get on the back of one. She will be a little cowgirl before no time though. She already has her own little cowgirl boots.

This week, we are packing and preparing for our long trip across the country. We get to go down to North Carolina and be with Shelby-Wayne and Heidi. Bodi is meeting up with us, so it will be the first Alan Williams Family Reunion! Bailey will get to meet her uncles and aunt Heidi for the first time. We are also going to stop in West Virginia and meet up with my Grandma Doris and Aunt Rosie and her daughters. We are so excited to see them!! I'm sure my next blog will be all about that adventure!

Well, it turns out that finding a job from home is a very difficult task. Not only do I not have the necessary experience in my field, but I am also competing with candidates from all over the world. I am not having any luck at all. Seth and I made a family decision to just move to the ranch, instead of waiting for my job. As soon as we are back from the trip, we will be moved onto the ranch to work full time on the house. With how busy summer has been, and will continue to be, it will be nice to play catch up on the house for a while.

Until then, I must go pack. It will take me all week and I will still probably forget something. Good thing my mom will be with us to save me, like she has my whole life!!

Babies, and more babies!

And so it begins...

The season of branding and working cows.
Bailey was able to be outside branding with us yesterday, as the weather was finally nice enough for us to be outside at the ranch. We got 120 cows worked and calves branded. Cody taught me, and Shawna, Raimee, Jacob, and Justin, how to cut calves for the first time. Seth was not interested. I actually enjoyed it and will continue to do it at other brandings. We have more calves to brand and will probably have two more brandings within the next week to finish out herd.

We had Raimee's Bridal Shower last Saturday and it was so much fun to plan it! We did a Hawaiin theme and there were actually a lot of people who showed up. I loved seeing how happy Raimee was! We had a lot of fun with the games, which was my favorite part of planning the shower. We also had a Pinterest success with the cupcakes! We made them into a wedding dress and they were beautiful!
We had a lot of family up here already because Dilon graduated high school. It is crazy to see him all grown up! He is leaving on a mission this year and we are so proud of him and can't wait to see all he will do with his life!

Well, I passed my final exam for my Medical Coding certificate! I am on the lookout for a job, which is what I am supposed to be doing now. I got distracted, figures! I will still have to take my CPC-A exam in Casper shortly but that will be in a few months. I am keeping my fingers crossed for being employed here in the near future.

The summer will be busy and will take Seth away from the house work. He is hoping that one more long day of wiring and that should be done. We are having our propane tank delivered today so Seth can hook up the hot water heater and get the propane ran to our house. He has started the plumbing but is learning the PEX plumbing system so it is a whole new adventure for him! We probably won't be moved in anytime within the next few months because of the wedding, traveling, and taking care of cows for the summer. We will try to get in as soon as possible though!

Bailey is started to have a very strong but cute personality. She loves to talk but that means that she will let you know if she isn't happy. Seth says she has my temper, patience, and attitude. That means that we are in deep deep trouble. She even tries to roll her eyes already! She is still a morning person and wakes up smiling and giggling. If she stays on her sleep schedule and doesn't have too many things going on, she will go all day without getting angry, until the night when she has had a long day and is ready for bed.

This summer will be busy but I will try to keep updated with the blog, as long as I have the time and the energy!

Home Sweet Home

Seth has been the absolute greatest husband in the world! After all, he is building us the home of our dreams. Every time I go visit the ranch, more and more has been done on the house. It seems like we go shopping every week or so for more stuff for the house. It is amazing what he has accomplished and I am so happy and proud of him! Bailey and I are sure lucky to have him in our lives!

He finished the roof a few weeks ago. It seemed like that was a big hold up for a long time. We had to special order our shingles, because I was picky and wanted the pretty blue ones! They finally came in and then we decided we wanted to have a baby and all the fun stuff that goes with that adventure. Seth took off a couple weeks and stayed in town with us. It seemed like after he went back to work, every day had the worst weather. It was either stormy or so windy that it was scary to be up on the roof. That is Wyoming for you, I suppose. He finally finished it and the blue shingles look perfect on our log cabin! They are so beautiful and exactly what we imagined!

We are lucky enough to have so many people willing to help on the house. My three little brothers come out to help as often as they can between school and sports. Soon it will be summer and they will be out there more to help Seth with whatever little jobs he has, as well as to learn a lot of what Seth is doing. It is great having them out there. We also have Seth's dad helping almost every day he can! Not only is he helping build the house but he has been awesome in taking care of Seth's cows during calving so Seth can focus on his family and the house. He also has been a great help with the electrical part of the house since Seth doesn't know as much about that. Between Cody and Raimee, who is home for a few months, they are getting the lights and plug ins whipped out left and right! Our family, on both sides, has been so supportive and helpful and we can never thank them enough for all they do to help support our dreams!

On another note, the comment we get the most often when people see Bailey is that she has grown so much. She is growing like a little weed! She had her two month appointment last week and had to get three shots. It was a miserable day for her, and for me! She is now 24" long and in the 95th percentile for her height, and 12lbs 4 oz and in the 75th percentile for her weight. Between her chubby little belly and her round puffy cheeks, it doesn't surprise me that she is gaining so much weight. She eats very well, to say the least. We love having her around and seeing her grow and learn has been amazing.

She rolled over a few weeks ago! I don't really want to admit that she did because she waited until I walked out of the room to do it. I came back in and she was on her back and laughing. No matter how hard I cheered her on, she hasn't rolled over since. We will keep trying!

Working from Home

Over the past two years, I worked as the Office Manager for Erickson Family Dental Center. I loved this job! It was perfect for me and yes, I miss it! I know I am a freak but desk work and paperwork are my favorite! I love that sort of thing. I worked there for a year and a half and would probably still be working there if I didn't have such a huge change in my life recently.

Don't get me wrong, I love love love staying at home with Bailey! There is nothing else I would rather be doing, even paperwork. I would not change the opportunity to be a stay at home mother for the world. I am very grateful that Seth and I were able to financially work it out so I can be at home with her every day, as I should be. There is no other more important job for me to be doing now than staying at home and cuddling her.

Over the past few years, Seth and I have brainstormed how I could continue to work full time while staying at home with our children, and him, out at the ranch. It was hard to find a job that sounded so perfect. After much consideration and hard work, I am on the last leg of getting a job as a Medical Coder and Biller from home! I will be able to work out at the ranch in my own little office. I am so excited to be working in the medical field, as was always my dream, and not have to drive to town every day.

We are getting internet installed tomorrow and I will take the final test for my Medical Coding course next week. After that, I will have some national certification tests and then job hunting is next! There is still a lot of work, and studying to do, but the knowledge that Seth and I (and Bailey) will soon be living our dream at the ranch is the best feeling ever!

We were able to bless Bailey last month. She was so beautiful in her white princess dress! Seth did amazing and the Spirit was so strong as he gave her the most perfect blessing! We are grateful to have her in our lives and to have the Gospel to teach us how to be the best parents we can be. She is growing up so fast! Next week, she will be two months old. We are not looking forward to her appointment where she will get four shots. Mom will be a mess for sure!

Sounds like she is waking up from her nap... More will come next week!

Family Update

Well, it has been too long since I have been able to write down what is going on in our family. I find that I enjoy writing down all that has happened recently. It reminds me of all the happiness and blessings that I have in my life and the experiences that I am able to have.

The biggest and best change that has happened to our family is the recent addition of our beautiful Bailey Louise. She was born on March 8, 2016 at 12:00 pm exactly. She was 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long. The day she was born was the happiest day of my life and was filled with an amount of love I never knew I could feel. Each day since then has proved to be filled with more love and happiness. She is such a cute happy little baby. She enjoys music, swinging, and pooping on mommy. She likes to laugh and smile and loves to exercise. I will be posting a lot more updates on her as that is what my life consists of now.

We are still working on building our home out at the ranch. Seth has been working so hard to make sure that the house is perfect to be our home. He is so creative with the building and such a perfectionist. Between having a baby and the weather lately, we have been set back more than we thought but as we look ahead at the projects left until we can move in, the list of things to do is getting shorter and shorter. I will post more updates on that as we go as well. As of now, the cabin is mostly enclosed, besides chinking and the front door. Seth is going to custom make the front door so we are excited to see how that will turn out! The big project that is being completed now is the electrical wiring and then the plumbing. We will be moving in before the whole house is complete and we will finish it while we are living in it.

I graduated from college last May with an associates degree. I took a wide variety of classes, including pre-nursing, business, and agriculture. I realized that I was bored without having any homework so I decided to go back to school. I have just finished my final class in my medical billing and coding program. After I finish my final, I will be able to get a job working from home at the ranch. It has been a long journey to be able to find a job and complete a program so that I will be able to stay at home with Bailey. I am excited that I have made it this far and everything has worked so smoothly for this all to happen.

Our family has been through a lot this last year. We have had our ups and downs but all things considered, it has been a wonderful life with this beautiful family of mine. We thank everyone for the love and support that has been given to us and hope to be able to show that love and appreciation back as time goes on. More updates to follow so keep reading!

Blessings galore in a world of mishaps

Seth and I are at a point in our lives where at least once a day one of us mentions something along the lines of "Can it get any worse" or "When it rains, it pours." One thing after another has brought stress and frustrated feelings into our life.
It started out when I lost my job. After that day, nothing seemed to ease up or make life any easier. I was bucked off my horse. Our colt died of an infection. None of our plans for our house were falling into place until recently.
But with all those problems going on, it is still nice to be able to stay calm and remember that we are not alone through all of this. It makes it much easier to be able to look at the bigger picture of the rest of our lives instead of just this moment. This makes it easier to realize all the many blessings we have throughout these crazy times.
Our Father in Heaven is looking over us and he knows exactly what He is doing. These might all seem like awful things now but there are always reasons for our trials. They make us stronger for whatever the future might hold for us.
I am thankful for all the good and bad things that might befall Seth and I. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to feel my Lord's presence in my life and to know it is Him all the way throughout my life. He is here to stay.

Seth and I are still working towards building our house. I am working towards my career in Medical Coding and Billing. We are hoping to achieve many of our goals by the end of the year, including living on the ranch in our own home and not having to drive in to town for work or anything. We will see if we can do it!